Erie upends Centaurus, earns playoff berth

Tigers grab 16th and final spot in 3A bracket

In their quest to nab a playoff berth, the Erie Tigers took care of the part they could control Friday, Nov. 2.

Then the Tigers played the waiting game.

A convincing 37-20 win against Northern League foe Centaurus at Warrior Stadium was a necessary step for Erie. But then the Tigers' had to sweat it out until Sunday, Nov. 4 to see if their wild-card points elevated enough for them to be among Class 3A's 16-team field.

"We will be. There's no doubt about it," optimistic running back B.J. Jensen said moments after the win. "I'm pretty sure we're still playing."

Jensen's words appear prophetic now. The Tigers nabbed the 16th and final seed, their 7-3 record just good enough to qualify.

Centaurus High School's John Howard (7) passes against Erie High School during on Friday, Nov. 2.
(
Matthew Jonas
)

"Wild-card points are a funny thing, because you never know what can happen," said Erie coach Larry Gartrell, whose team was 17th entering the contest.

The bad news is that the Tigers have to travel to top-seeded and 10-0 Rifle (1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10), but it sure beats sitting at home.

First and foremost, Erie had to take care of business in the regular-season finale against the Warriors (2-8, 2-3). Multifaceted back Pedro Anderson scored two touchdowns in the first three minutes to give Erie a quick 14-0 lead and finished with three TDs.

He first returned a punt 52 yards after Erie forced a quick three-and-out. Then, after Tyler David recovered a Centaurus fumble, Anderson scored on a four-yard run. He added another four-yarder in the second quarter.

"We knew what we had to do, so coming in here we were mentally prepared," Anderson said. "We just started right off the bat."

Joe Ramey added two touchdown runs in the second half and paced the Tigers' 220-yard rushing attack with 84 on 19 carries. The Tigers also got interceptions from Ryan Romey and Christian Mickey against Centaurus quarterback John Howard, pressed into action when Warriors starter David Shald was injured during practice this week.

Howard also threw for two TDs, one at the end of each half. His first was to Tanner Martinelli (who also had a running TD) at the halftime buzzer and cut Erie's lead to 21-7. He found tight end Ryan Sapena for a 34-yarder in the waning moments.

On the extra point, Erie's Romey, a starting defensive back, tangled with Centaurus' Johnathan Keyek-Franssen and both were ejected. Romey will have to sit out the first-round playoff game.

Erie, which finished 3-2 in league play, is just hoping there is a second.

"I feel like we can compete with any team in the state," Anderson said. "We have our ups and downs, but when we're good, we're as good as anyone."

If the Tigers need any motivation, they can look at their opponent. In 2005, Rifle sneaked in with the No. 16 seed and upset top-ranked Northridge 21-20 in the first round. The Bears parlayed the momentum into a trip to the state championship game.